This weekend, there’s been a flurry of activity and interest centering around Windows Phone 7.8, the promised but as yet not delivered update to previous generation (Windows Phone 7.5) phones. Paul Thurrott started things off with a bit of a weekend rant about Microsoft’s lack of openness about what’s going on with the update, which was announced in June along with Windows Phone 8.

While it may have made Paul feel better, it also fueled a bit of hand wringing, as sites like Business Insider picked up on the FUD.

Windows Phone…7.8!

The new Start screen is so useful and emblematic of what Windows Phone is about that we want everybody to enjoy it. So we’ll be delivering it to existing phones as a software update sometime after Window Phone 8 is released. Let me repeat: If you currently own a Windows Phone 7.5 handset, Microsoft is planning to release an update with the new Windows Phone 8 Start screen. We’re calling it “Windows Phone 7.8.”

Some of you have been wondering, “Will we also get Windows Phone 8 as an update?” The answer, unfortunately, is no.

Windows Phone 8 is a generation shift in technology, which means that it will not run on existing hardware. BUT we care deeply about our existing customers and want to keep their phones fresh, so we’re providing the new Start screen in this new update.